Braves designate Hernandez for assignment, recall Medlen – updated
After mulling the decision for a couple of days, the Braves decided to bring Kris Medlen back to a relief role and they designated veteran long man Livan Hernandez for assignment to make room for Medlen in the bullpen. They recalled Medlen from Triple-A Gwinnett, and he was available to pitch in relief Friday.
The Braves had sent Medlen down to stretch out as a starter. But with both Mike Minor and Randall Delgado pitching well recently, their bigger need was in the bullpen.
Hernandez was 1-1 with a 4.94 ERA in 18 appearances for the Braves this season after signing at the end of spring training. This was the first time in his 17 years in the majors he had pitched in relief.
“It was tough because the guy has been around forever, and he’s been great with us,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “But it didn’t make sense the way our bullpen situation is right now to be carrying a guy, a third long man.”
Gonzalez has known Hernandez, 37, since he was 18 and had just defected from Cuba. Gonzalez, who was coaching in the Marlins system, used to translate for Hernandez. But he said Hernandez handled the news with character when he and general manager Frank Wren told him early Friday afternoon.
“He’s a straight pro,” Gonzalez said. “He goes, ‘Hey, I understand. Thank you for the opportunity and good luck to the guys.’ We’re going to miss him as far as the mentoring with some of the other guys.”
Gonzalez said he came away thinking Hernandez wanted to continue to pitch and wouldn’t retire. Hernandez and Gonzalez both are hoping he’ll get claimed by another team. If he’s not claimed or traded within 10 days, Hernandez can accept an assignment in Triple-A Gwinnett or elect to become a free agent.
“There may be some teams out there looking for a veteran guy, and I hope he does,” Gonzalez said. “I know he still wants to pitch and he still wants to compete, which is his No. 1 thing.”
Hernandez struggled to get outs in his past two appearances, giving up nine runs, including three home runs, in 4 2/3 innings.
He was called on to protect a 4-1 lead against Toronto on Sunday in relief of spot starter Julio Teheran with the bases loaded in the fifth inning and couldn’t do it. He allowed all three runners to score as well as two more, and he gave up three runs on two homers in the next inning. Ultimately he had a hand in eight runs scoring in a 12-4 loss.
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127 comments Add your comment
Whiskey River
June 15th, 2012
3:08 pm
Now if they can do the same with Francico and Constanza,they will be making progress
TheOnlyBravesFan
June 15th, 2012
3:08 pm
There is a God! Finally.
Jeff
June 15th, 2012
3:09 pm
Shocker. I could have told you this would happen a month ago. It was inevitable. However, we also need to look at the lack of pitching development throughout the Braves organization. Yes, the team has some talented arms, but the development of that FINAL step — what is needed to create a top-line, All-Star caliber pitcher — is sorely lacking. Notice that when Atlanta last developed a talented crop of young pitchers (Smoltz, Glavine, Avery, etc.), the pitching coaches developed All-Stars. The last few years, we’ve developed the injury prone (Hanson), the head cases (Jurrjens), and the inconsistent (Minor, Delgado, etc.) Let’s hope that the team figures out a better way to take this raw talent throughout the organization and develop it into championship-caliber pitchers.
Reid in EAV
June 15th, 2012
3:12 pm
For someone as senior as Livan, is a DFA the same as a cut? Will he be free to look for another job?
Brave Decisions
June 15th, 2012
3:13 pm
The right call here http://wp.me/p2lqJ1-8n Tanks everyone for the awesome feedback.
Buddy Greene
June 15th, 2012
3:16 pm
“For someone as senior as Livan, is a DFA the same as a cut? Will he be free to look for another job?”
not really he could choose to accept an assignment to the G braves but he will first see if he can sign on with a big league club or he may retire…i still dont like him from 97 i know it was the umps fault but we should have gotten our second world title.
shorty
June 15th, 2012
3:20 pm
Now send Fredi G. with him.
Dr. Don
June 15th, 2012
3:21 pm
Jeff – we got Smoltzie in a trade with Detroit. Can’t take credit for developing him. You might consider giving Teheran and Delgado a little slack – they haven’t had much time to develop yet. Geez.
Braves designate Livan Hernandez | PRO Rumors
June 15th, 2012
3:21 pm
[...] Atlanta Braves have designated Livan Hernandez for assignment, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. To take his roster spot, the Braves called up Kris Medlen from [...]
Andy
June 15th, 2012
3:22 pm
Thank God! Talk about some irony…Medlen goes to stretch arm out because the starters stuggle, then we he goes down the starters begin to pull their weight and the bridge to Kimbrell forgets how to pitch…
MikeY
June 15th, 2012
3:25 pm
From wikipedia: A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the 40-man roster. This gives the team time to decide what to do with the player while freeing up a roster spot for another transaction, if needed. Once a player is designated for assignment, the team has ten days to do one of the following things: the player can be traded, the player can be released, or the player can be put on waivers and, provided he clears, outrighted to the minors. A player who is outrighted to the minors is removed from the 40-man roster but is still paid according to the terms of his guaranteed contract.
I THINK this means the Braves are still on the hook for the rest of his contract ($750K for the season plus $750K in possible performance incentives), if he ends up going to the minors or if the Braves release him and another team picks him up. If the Braves release him and another team wants him, I THINK they only have to pay MLB minimum.
DOB, can you verify?
Joe for 3
June 15th, 2012
3:26 pm
I’m surprised they didn’t leave Medlen down in Gwinnett for a few relief appearances so he could get accustomed to coming out of the pen again.
Marvin Mangrum
June 15th, 2012
3:35 pm
I hate it, but seems every other week the Braves can not seem to find a win. But, Hernandez getting cut, god he should have been cut 3 weeks fore Spring Training ended. What? Huh? You talking to me? Oh, he was cut fore spring training ended by Washington. You mean 1st place Washington? And we picked him up. Gee Whiz! Dang, aint we something! Hell ATL dont need no funnies they got the freaking Bravos. Ive said it, boycott the games, boycott um, bring Liberty to its knees! You got management that aint fit to empty trash running this contraption. Anyway. I guess no more 66 mph fastballs. And the writer calling it a fastball oughta be fired to. It mighta been fast to said pitcher, but 66 mph is about 5th grade level speed. Gawd, at least he dont get a parade!
Brava
June 15th, 2012
3:36 pm
More chaotic leadership and decision making from Wren and Gonzalez. I feel bad for Medlen who has to get jerked around by these yahoos. After making him spend three weeks in the minors, they should have at least given him a couple of starts to see if he could be more effective than Delgado or Minor, neither of which are dependable. Oh well, it must really suck to work for such incompetent fools.
Brava
June 15th, 2012
3:38 pm
Letting Hernandez go is about a three weeks too late, BTW. Hope Francisco is next. Wren sure knows how to waste money on washed-up and ineffective players, even if it’s not much, in the grand scheme of things, it adds up.
stan
June 15th, 2012
3:38 pm
As much as I dislike Livian from his Marlins days I think he did a good job for us.
You could tell the other players enjoyed having him on the team
Congrats on a excellent career Livan!!
jharber
June 15th, 2012
3:38 pm
wren and fredi next? I hope
Whiskey River
June 15th, 2012
3:39 pm
Bad Bad decision making by our idiotic management.
Ryan P. Smith
June 15th, 2012
3:39 pm
FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MikeY
June 15th, 2012
3:40 pm
@Marvin, actually it was the Astros that cut him. Astros signed him to a minor league contract on january 31. Atros released him (after a very poor spring training) and the Braves signed him on March 30.
@Brava, I agree 100%. Absolutely chaotic. You have to say that Fredi has cost us two wins recently, with blowing the two 4-run leads.
Whiskey River
June 15th, 2012
3:42 pm
Now we need Chipper to fire FG and FW.
Rick
June 15th, 2012
3:42 pm
Whiskey River, Constanza is already in AAA.
MikeY
June 15th, 2012
3:44 pm
And I see that Fredi has jiggered the lineup to have Prado play 1B today gainst a lefty. OK, that I can see. So why not also play Ross at C since Rossy is hitting .30 vs lefties?
Come on Fredi, engage your brain!
Whiskey River
June 15th, 2012
3:45 pm
@Rick I know that. Release Francisco and bring up Constanza. That is what I was saying.
Preston Hannitized
June 15th, 2012
3:46 pm
Jack Wilson next? Has anyone seen Wren? has there been a coup on Hank AAron Drive. Or, was Livan cut so wren could make a play to sign Jamie Moyer?
jharber
June 15th, 2012
3:47 pm
let the new G M deal with francisco, just let fw and fg go now
chopp'nchick
June 15th, 2012
3:49 pm
Bout freaking time! I agree with Whiskey River, at least as far as Francisco is concerned. Should have never tradeed the bum! Was washed up with the Reds, and the Braves wasted a pitcher to get him. What do the Braves need?????? PITCHING! Another STUPID decision by Frank Wren.
What the Braves fans should do is boycott attending the games until Liberty Media sells the team – hit ‘em in the pocketbook where it hurts. Liberty Media doesn’t care if the Braves win or lose — the team is a tax writeoff. It’s a joke when the President of Liberty Media makes more THAN THE ENTIRE BRAVES PAYROLL. The Braves will never win another championship (wild card, division, NL, World Series) so long as Liberty Media owns the team.
Kris
June 15th, 2012
3:53 pm
I don’t understand Wren and Fredi. Even the avg. fans could tell Livan wasn’t a major league pitcher two months ago. Why pick up guys like him when we had at least 3 better relief pitchers than Livan in tripleA. And why send Medlen to minors when we needed him the most during this tough interleague series, if you are putting him right back in the long relief role? Sometimes, the moves the braves make are the dumbest in the majors.
Whiskey River
June 15th, 2012
3:55 pm
@chopp ‘nchick I already took care of the boycott thing. 2 days ago,I burned up my season tickets and they are not getting another red cent out of me.
jharber
June 15th, 2012
3:57 pm
remember the TEX trade. Bourn will be just as bad in 2-3 more years. they will be in astros rotation before you know it
flyin south baby
June 15th, 2012
4:02 pm
WHAT the HELL is GOING on at the TED? I feel like I am watching PING PONG
Joey
June 15th, 2012
4:07 pm
Whoo hoo!!
Ralph
June 15th, 2012
4:08 pm
Thank god for small favors, wow this is a big favor. Could Wren possibly be reading these blogs, Next to be DFA is Fatsisco then Wilson and last but not least Fredi Gonzalez
Sweet Old Buck
June 15th, 2012
4:08 pm
This move gives the Braves great flexibility. In effect they have three spot starters and long relievers among Medlen, Delgado and Minor.
Dozer
June 15th, 2012
4:13 pm
Duh – Francisco’s next hopefully……..
Whiskey River
June 15th, 2012
4:14 pm
@Ralph Maybe we can get Chipper to fire Wren too.
Ralph
June 15th, 2012
4:16 pm
Whiskey River
Glad to see you have been reading my post!
Ralph
June 15th, 2012
4:19 pm
Whiskey River
June 15th, 2012
4:14 pm
@Ralph Maybe we can get Chipper to fire Wren too.
I don’t know if I could stand that much excitment in one day.
Frank Wren
June 15th, 2012
4:21 pm
Now designate Fredi Gonzalez for assignment
smallmouth6
June 15th, 2012
4:21 pm
Time to bring Constanza back up. Haven’t won a game since he went down.
Whiskey River
June 15th, 2012
4:22 pm
@Ralph Always enjoy your comments. We would at least have something to cheer about if Chipper fires Wren.
Ralph
June 15th, 2012
4:22 pm
Frank Wren
June 15th, 2012
4:21 pm
Now designate Fredi Gonzalez for assignment
Your the man
Ralph
June 15th, 2012
4:27 pm
Whiskey River
You know I absolutely hate losing but no way are we going to win them all but to lose and nobody does anything to make the team better is beyond my tolerance level.
Kris Medlen (Braves) — BaseballMoves.com
June 15th, 2012
4:30 pm
[...] Source: ajc.com [...]
DawgDad
June 15th, 2012
4:31 pm
The Braves DO deserve credit for developing John Smoltz. Smoltz was acquired in 1987; in 1988 he was 21 and pitching a lot like Mike Minor recently (look it up).
The Braves need more consistency from a very young and relatively inexperienced group of starters. Things may work out this year, and they may not. In the big picture when you look at this pitching staff you’d be blind to not forsee bright days ahead.
That said, all that ails the Braves is NOT pitching. They left a TON of runners on base the other day, and the middle of the order is not scaring anybody. They are trying to win with an almost completely inexperienced shortstop and an almost completely used-up third baseman, albeit both are enormously talented. The first baseman can’t see, the catcher acts like he still can’t see. The right fielder flashes unlimited potential amidst his frequent flailings. The left fielder is an all-star second baseman and frequent third baseman who never gets to play second. The center fielder may prove to be an expensive rental unit. The bench is Ross, Hinske, and a prayer.
Overall, the Braves are a good team with an upside that might or might not be good enough right now.
Whiskey River
June 15th, 2012
4:35 pm
@Ralph I completely agreebut I don’t think management is smart enough to take our suggestions. They are not going to put the team back like it was when we won 6 in a row. If they did, that would put Chipper as a pinchhitter off the bench. That would take away all his glory. That is all he stayed for this year.Chipper is definitely a HOF, but he stayed to long. He is not helping this team to win.
Ralph
June 15th, 2012
4:41 pm
I see that jj gave up another Gran Slam last nite, pitched good the first 5 innings. That seems to be a trend braves picher have been in, got to stop that stuff.
P Rose
June 15th, 2012
4:44 pm
Livan hasn’t been the same since Eric Gregg died.
Whiskey River
June 15th, 2012
4:45 pm
Also 13men left on base. 9 in scoring position. Get Cipper out of five hole and bench him.
marietta eagle
June 15th, 2012
4:45 pm
What is wrong with the braver ? WREN Why is our best scouts in washington WREN Have you looked at the young players coming up and helping washington . Looks like the braves farm system .of old. The dirty little secret is no one wants to work with Wren . They can not work for a GM who could not run KC must less the braves.
NickB
June 15th, 2012
4:45 pm
Francisco still has value as he’s very young and has mad power. I’m sure that some AL team would be willing to take a shot at him as their DH or 3B. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him moved in a few weeks for a pen arm or relief prospect. Especially considering how many teams out there have struggling offenses. But, with Chipper back, he really has no spot. (as long as they don’t bring back Constanza anyway) I’d be more willing to fill that bench spot with a guy like Jack Cust
LK
June 15th, 2012
4:46 pm
Can Prado even play first base?! Whats wrong w/ Freddie????
NickB
June 15th, 2012
4:47 pm
@ Whiskey River
your ignorance is showing, Chipper is 6th in MLB WAR at 3B. If you remove the DL trip he’d be in the top 4 . He IS greatly helping this team.
bruce mac
June 15th, 2012
4:47 pm
Francisco needs to go. He is AWFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Surely we have someone somewhere that can put the friggin ball in play from the right side of the plate. If not, go get one for goodness sake. Jack Wilson has been in the major leagues for what 20 years and has no clue how to bunt. What a joke. The Braves as currently structured have 0 chance of making the playoffs.
kerryb
June 15th, 2012
4:47 pm
This should have happened a long time ago. Matter of fact they should not have even signed him. Why would you sign a guy that was released by the Astros? He couldn’t even make the Astros but Frank Wren signs him.
bvillebaron
June 15th, 2012
4:47 pm
What is wrong with this picture? Livo designated for assignment? And here Fredi just told us a few days ago that he was the “perfect” choice to come into games to try to pitch out of jams in the middle innings?
jharber
June 15th, 2012
4:51 pm
Fredi was letting his brillance show
kerryb
June 15th, 2012
4:52 pm
I hate this for Medlin. He wants to be a starter. Wren and Gonzales sends him to Gwinnett to stretch out so he can be starter. I’m sure that got his hopes up to finally be a starter. He comes back and you tell him he’s back in the bullpen. That has to be deflating. And you said Delgado was pitching well? Did you see the game the other night where he looked scared on the mound the whole time? Had that deer in the headlights look against the Yankees.
bostonbravo
June 15th, 2012
4:52 pm
Fredi & Juan: “Next Please”!!!!!
BigWad
June 15th, 2012
4:53 pm
DawgDad…well stated analysis. This team was touted as being pitcher strong and instead they are pitcher weak(at least schitzofrenic).The fact that the team is very young at 3 starting positions with erractic pitching from everybody except Kimbrel and hitting that comes and goes with the change of wind direction(eye problems) means we really aren`t a playoff team this year. Looks like next year at best….. Time to let the CJ farewell tour take a backseat to winning games. Sorry but the fans and players deserve better than to be forced to watch CJ not play/perform 3 1/2 out of every 4 weeks . Every detail is crucial to a team that has no margin for error if they expect to make the playoffs.
mountain_jim
June 15th, 2012
4:53 pm
Fredi’s credibility diminishing every game. And when questioned about his poor decisions he act’s like Mularkey – thank gawd he’s gone!
Whiskey River
June 15th, 2012
4:54 pm
@NickB Just exactly how many RBI’S has he had since his return. WAR doesn’t mean a thing. Drive in the run to help your team win.
MikeY
June 15th, 2012
4:54 pm
My typing sucks…Ross is hitting .350 against lefties w/ an OPS of 1200…so why doesn’t Fredi give him more starts vs lefties?
GO BRAVES!
bostonbravo
June 15th, 2012
4:55 pm
NickB…in order for Francisco to show his “mad power”…he needs to strike the ball with the bat!
Ralph
June 15th, 2012
4:58 pm
Would like to see this line-up tonight:
1. Bourn cf
2. Simmons ss
3. Prado 3b
4. Uggla 2b
5. McCann c
6. Freeman 1b
7. Chipper DH
8. Diaz rf
9. Heyward rf
jharber
June 15th, 2012
4:58 pm
management does not have a clue what to do, Bobby Cox for G M
Ralph
June 15th, 2012
4:59 pm
I meant Diaz in lf
b
June 15th, 2012
5:04 pm
Medlen and Constanza have been treated like crap. It seems the Braves have been monkeying around with their roster without regards to putting the best possible team on the field.
b
June 15th, 2012
5:06 pm
Mad power from Francisco, what a joke! Batting practice doesn’t count. Also, he has NO other aspects to his game that would help the Braves.
Whiskey River
June 15th, 2012
5:08 pm
With tonites lineup no W tonite. Another game wasted.
Ralph
June 15th, 2012
5:11 pm
Whiskey River
June 15th, 2012
5:08 pm
With tonites lineup no W tonite. Another game wasted
What is tonight’s line-up?
NickB
June 15th, 2012
5:13 pm
RBI’s are a team stat, if you read about baseball a little bit you would understand that. RBI’s are not indiciative on individual performance, let go of the old baseball card stats, most of them only give you a partial picture. WAR IS the best single stat to use to gauge player performance.
but if you still want to believe the earth is flat, that’s your business.
least of the east
June 15th, 2012
5:13 pm
addition by subtraction. you get what you pay for. Livian was available at a cheap price for a reason.
for a team that drafts so many pitchers, very few actually contribute. Hudson, Beachy, Delgado, O Flaherty – none drafted. except for 2010, it’s pitcher heavy for years with few results. of course, no hitters either.
Sims is a potential top of the rotation starter supposedly-we’ll see in 3-4 yrs. don’t bet on it.
when Bourn leaves, who’ll play CF ? you can be sure Wren has no idea and Liberty Media doesn’t care. need to deal him by 7/31 and get something back.
Whiskey River
June 15th, 2012
5:14 pm
@Ralph Bourn,Prado,McCann,Uggla, Chipper, Diaz,Heyward,Simmons,Hanson. Get Chipper out of 5 hole.
Whiskey River
June 15th, 2012
5:16 pm
@NickB If you dont drive in run, you lose. WAR means nothing if you lose.
Ralph
June 15th, 2012
5:18 pm
Whiskey River
June 15th, 2012
5:14 pm
@Ralph Bourn,Prado,McCann,Uggla, Chipper, Diaz,Heyward,Simmons,Hanson. Get Chipper out of 5 hole
Where did you get that, is Hanson the DH?
Whiskey River
June 15th, 2012
5:20 pm
No DH Ralph.
Whiskey River
June 15th, 2012
5:22 pm
@ NickB You have qa player with your high War. I have a player with a lot of RBI’s. I WIN.
1991 braves
June 15th, 2012
5:23 pm
Too bad the braves couldn’t designate the 2 idiots that brought Livan here for reassignment. Just another in a long line of terrible moves made by the worst G.M. in baseball. But this wasn’t the worst move Wren has made, that honor belongs to hiring the mental midget Fred Flintstone, who still believes Livan is a valuable piece of a pitiful bullpen. Have said it for 2 years now, the braves are never going anywhere with these 2 clowns making management decisions. The braves are now and they will continue to be a mediocre franchise as long as the 3 stooges are here(Wren, Fred, and Larry)
Ralph
June 15th, 2012
5:23 pm
Whiskey River
Sorry, I thought they were on the road
Bill M.
June 15th, 2012
5:24 pm
If I were Medlen, I would request a trade. He’s being jerked around to much. Wren & Fredi G. have no clue as to running a team. Please someone buy this team and fire Wren & Fredi G. and all coaches and management.
Ralph
June 15th, 2012
5:28 pm
I guess Prado is playing 1st base, I have no problem with the line-up except I don’t like Prado hitting 2nd. Fredi is like his predesessor Bobby Cox, he is a slow learner, dont’t like to call him retarted but it means the same thing, one of these days he will come to realize thet Prado doesn’t hit when Bourn is on 1st base.
Ralph
June 15th, 2012
5:30 pm
Bill M.
I said that same thing at the beginning of the season.
Whiskey River
June 15th, 2012
5:35 pm
@Ralph Reverse Chipper and Heyward. Got to get Chipper out of 5 hole.
MD Braves fan
June 15th, 2012
5:40 pm
Fredi a national joke. Cracking on how sorry he is on local MD radio. Embarassing.
Mark (another one)
June 15th, 2012
5:43 pm
If Wren listens to blogs he would deserve to be fired. The negative stuff on here is unbelieveable. Livan wasn’t getting it done and the Braves needed a spot for Medlen’s return. It makes sense. The comments about Franciso don’t.
Whiskey River
June 15th, 2012
5:44 pm
Got to go guys See you tomorrow. Good l uck on trying not to get massacered. Probably at least 10-0
Let's Go
June 15th, 2012
5:45 pm
no shocker here. Durbin figured his issues out and the league figured Livan out so his time was up.
NickB
June 15th, 2012
5:46 pm
@ Whiskey River
That’s not how it works……..
Player A has a slash line of .250/.313/.476 and 39 RBI’s and a 0.5 WAR
Player B has a slash line of .306/.353/.580 and 39 RBI’s and 3.5 WAR
so you would say that these two players have equal value because they have the same RBI’s when it’s clear that Player B is contributing to his team MUCH more than Player A. the difference is that Player A (Nick Swisher) plays for a better offensive team (Yankees) than Player B (Adam Jones from the O’s). Resulting in more chances to drive in runs as he comes to bat with more people on base.
but if you think Swisher’s .719 OPS and 0.5 WAR is equal to Jones’ .933 OPS and 3.5 WAR be my guest, but you’d be wrong. RBI’s have been PROVEN to be a product of the teams offensive environment and not the individual player. If one player has more PA’s with runners on base he will drive in more runs than an equal player with less chances. Even more runs than a greater player with less chances.
You can’t drive in runners that aren’t there.
NickB
June 15th, 2012
5:47 pm
correction ,swisher’s oPS should read .779 not .719
NickB
June 15th, 2012
5:48 pm
I would like to see Heyward hitting 2nd or 3rd against RH’ers, then move Prado to the 3 hole against lefties and Chipper 2nd. Old man can still get on base
Preston Hannitized
June 15th, 2012
5:48 pm
I cannot wait for the game tonight. I love to watch the always entertaining close ups on the Braves skipper and the “Fredi face.” Priceless unintentional comedy.
NickB
June 15th, 2012
5:49 pm
I would like Heyward 2nd either hand really, with his and Bourn’s stolen base ability and superior base running, it would be a nice double threat to start games, and I bet more RBI chances for Uggs and Mac
kevkat
June 15th, 2012
5:51 pm
I agree with the Livan decision…but who’s to blame for the other losses?
Bill
June 15th, 2012
5:57 pm
Theonlybravesfan..Thers’s always been a GOD..no finally to it.
Glad Wren’s finally opened his eyes. Now will he open his brain and do his job. He’s don’t nothing since last year. Start by firing Fredi.
NickB
June 15th, 2012
5:59 pm
IMO it’s not Livan’s fault that Fredi didn’t know how to use him.
His biggest value was eating innings and saving the other pen arms. He should have been used in blowouts (either way) in games where a starter had to leave early due to injury or whatever, and as the last option in extra inning games (as you never know how long they will go and he could pitch til it ended)
He should have NEVER been in any leverage situation other than low. He should have been there to eat innings and save the other pen arms. It’s not his fault Fredi thought he was a good option in high leverage situations and getting out of jams because he was a “veteran”
NickB
June 15th, 2012
6:02 pm
I think the firing Fredi thing would have to come from above Frank Wren. I’m not so sure that JS isn’t the one pulling those strings.
Heck Wren already fired Parrish after Fredi said everyone would be coming back, so it’s not lik he has some personal affection towards Fredi at all. But JS is going to protect the decision HE MADE to allow Bobby to basically handpick his successor, and as we know, JS’s ego started to get the best of him towards the end of his GM tenure (and I assume has carried over to his job as Team Prez) he would have to be willing to admit he made a mistake, can he do that? (he never seemed to be able to admit he screwed up on the Tex trade)
cowdogit
June 15th, 2012
6:04 pm
McDowell could break down Superman’s arm .
cowdogit
June 15th, 2012
6:04 pm
McDowell could break down Superman’s arm .
Whiskey River
June 15th, 2012
6:08 pm
@Nickb Going out the door and noticed last post. OK you got your WAR. I just looked this up. Before DL Chipper avg 319 28RBI’s. Since return Avg 211 RBI’s 8 I know you wont listen. Tell me how he is helping. Never happen Bench him. He is done. All he wants is the glory of his last year. Good bye Good luck with your so called Star.
Brave New World
June 15th, 2012
6:08 pm
The last time Hernandez was a dominant pitcher was when Eric Gregg was the home plate “umpire.”
NickB
June 15th, 2012
6:10 pm
@ Whiskey River
I love how you can take a small sample size of a few games and juts come to the decision that he’s done and should be benched……. I guess yer a super scout huh?
Pardon me if I don’t pay much attention to your obviously uneducated and ignorant opinion about baseball players
DoninAcworth
June 15th, 2012
6:24 pm
Me thinkin Chipper should be used in certain spots and especially as a PH since his (lately) bad fielding has hurt us. Prado is fine at 3rd and he likes it better also. Love
Simmons at short! Go Braves!
Tip-your-hat
June 15th, 2012
6:37 pm
Wren is keeping Francisco ONLY because he doesn’t want to admit Hoover-Francisco deal was a xxxxxxx.
Matt
June 15th, 2012
6:39 pm
Back to the bullpen he goes, and they wasted the f*** out of those 2 weeks.
IlliniBrave
June 15th, 2012
6:57 pm
Yet another Frank Wren shopping trip to Big Lots (no pun intended) with the end result of throwing away some junk you bought but realized you really didn’t need. When will FW stop these stupid bargain-basement ventures? They are getting pretty embarassing.
See Scott Prcotor, Mark Redman, Takashi Saito, Scott Linebrink, Josh Anderson, Chris Woodward, Troy Glaus, Corky Miller, Greg Norton, Daryl Ward, Willie Harris, etc.
cowdogit
June 15th, 2012
7:03 pm
When is President John S coming to D O B’S blog and anwser questions about all of the dumb decision’s being made . When John was the GM he was always accessible .
Ralph
June 15th, 2012
7:05 pm
So who is our “mop up” pitcher now, Venters maybe, who is our set-up man, Venters maybe?
IlliniBrave
June 15th, 2012
7:05 pm
MD Brave: noticed your comment about local announcers up there ripping on Fredi. The talking heads at ESPN Baseball have been indirectly criticizing Braves management on their blogs since the season began. My favorite was Eric Karabell’s remark to AJ Mass last month, regarding ironically enough the Braves’ use of Kris Medlen, “you and I have been wondering what’s going on with Braves management for some time…”
The guy is just not a quality manager.
NickB
June 15th, 2012
7:06 pm
C’mon people. why do you get on FW when he isn’t the on setting the budget! Man has got to work with the amount of money that Liberty allows the team to have. Not to mention Livan was a great pen arm, if he had been used properly by our retard mgr. If he had been a low leverage middle relief guy , he would have been fine, Fredi seemed to think he was the 2nd coming of Craig Kimbrel.
I don’t think it was a bad pickup considering the budget restraints, I just think he wasn’t used properly
IlliniBrave
June 15th, 2012
7:15 pm
Nick B.: Gotta disagree. Livan = Redman = Proctor = Linebrink = Saito = Villareal = insert name of once-decent pitcher who has been cut by at least two other teams. All the same. I’d rather bring up a young arm and let him develop, a la Glavine, Smoltz, Millwood, Avery, etc. – guys who struggled early on but had long-term potential. And this approach would save money – if that is in fact the issue.
NickB
June 15th, 2012
7:20 pm
but you don’t want to bring up a young reliver and have him on low leverage spots all the time, it’s better if they are pitching in high leverage spots in AAA
NickB
June 15th, 2012
7:23 pm
Not to mention how difficult it is to try and develop multiple young players AND be contending for divisions, it rarely happens, usually teams developing are lik the Braves of 87-90 then they erupt like the Braves of 91 (and recently Tampa a few years back) as the players all start to “get it”. I expect the Royals to be a really good team by 2014 or so as they are following this formula. heck , the pirates as well, their pitching is doing well, they just need a bat or two and they will be a dangerous team.
BrandonLee49
June 15th, 2012
7:24 pm
Now that Livan is Levon, let’s see if we can get FG to take his seat beside him on the Bus to ANYWHERE… Give us Bucky Dent, Al Capone, Smokey an the Bandit, Punch n Jusy, anyone Qualifies…
IlliniBrave
June 15th, 2012
7:29 pm
Brandon: at this point I think Triumph the Insult Dog from Conan O’Brien would be a refreshing choice. Someone who would at least not “tip their cap” ten or more times in every press conference after a loss.
Hugh Jass
June 15th, 2012
8:48 pm
This move was moronic. Livan gave up some runs the past few games when he inherited runs in terrible situations. The problem was dumb management leaving pitchers in too long. Livan actually has gotten us out of some bad situations too. Send Venters down for the love of all that is holy.
FSUBrave
June 15th, 2012
9:02 pm
stupid..this team is run by a bunch of morons
Roja
June 15th, 2012
11:47 pm
Should have DFA’d Livan about 55 games ago!!!!!!
Roja
June 15th, 2012
11:50 pm
SPN would rag on God if she were managing the Atlanta Braves.
MikeY
June 16th, 2012
7:07 am
Medlen is a true professional. As is Prado. Those two are my two Braves co-MVPs.
Braves are looking better…and should be even better next year.
Go Braves!
N Ain
June 16th, 2012
8:21 am
What is up with Johnny Venters? Is he in the tank for the rest of the season, or is he going to come around soon?
Mark's for the Braves
June 16th, 2012
9:43 am
Why does Levan still want to pitch? Well it’s like Elton John sang, “Levon, Levon likes his money”.
No, all kidding aside, Levan actually did ok for April and May, I thought. We just don’t need relievers down the stretch in the second half of the season blowing big leads in the middle innings. Don’t think Medlen will do that in the long role.
Good luck to Levan. Wish him well.
CRMAC300
June 16th, 2012
11:04 am
NickB so right about how to use Livan. He should never be in any game that is not a blow out in either direction or as the last option in an extra inning game. Putting that softball pitcher in a winnable game is just poor managing. All that time that Medlen spent in the minors “stretching his arm” should have been spent in the bullpen pitching in those winnable games. Now he is back on the big team’s roster doing the same thing that he was doing before he went to the minors! Wonder how many games the Braves lost for lack of a decent middle reliever while Medlen was down. Nice team management, Fredi and Wren!!
Kev
June 16th, 2012
11:35 am
Good move Hernandez had to go never should have been on the roster in the first place that was Freds deal. Now we can get down to busness. the bullpen is set a move or two ie Wilson,Francisco,then we will be pretty good.Good luck Hernandez his place here was not for him another team could use him in another situation….
Alaska Braves Fan
June 16th, 2012
2:52 pm
Those people whose judgmental comments reveal unalloyed disrespect and enmity toward some players make me wonder what kinds of behavior they expect, and get, from those to whose authority they are subject. It also makes me wonder, as once was said of George on Seinfeld, “What did your parents DO to you?”
ABF
nashvillewill
June 16th, 2012
3:30 pm
Sentiment has a place in baseball, just not too big a place and not at the expense of a team’s chances. Braves appear to be playing the sentiment card to the hilt with Chipper, who is not producing since his return from the DL. That’s ok, but can’t afford to keep Livan who did produce in April, but lately has been a disaster. Wish him well, a good guy and good for morale.
Prado does not hit with men on base, and would do better down in the order; Simmons, however, looks like a classic two-hole hitter, puts ball in play and can bunt. I look for some intelligent move later in the season when Simmons is more seasoned. Unless McCann stays hot, Braves are in need of a three-hole hitter. How many winning teams can you say that about? A big problem. Virtually every player – Heyward, Prado, Uggla, Chipper, Freeman – are 6-8 hitters. Braves are very weak from 2-3-4-5. Would like to see stats on this stuff. But the result is too many RISP left on base. Bourn and Simmons cannot carry this team. Hope McCann stays hot; hope Freeman recovers, both his fingers and his stroke; hope Chipper returns to early season form; hope Uggla strikes out less; hope Heyward stays with his approach. Too much hope, not enough actuality.
BBQ MAN
June 16th, 2012
6:36 pm
The pitching issues can be easily remedied with a total paradigm shift. forget the roles of starter, mid,long-relief only! a pitcher’s job is the same no matter the inning(s) get outs and allow no runs. PERIOD! a Good Manager with a good pitching coach should be able to manage the pitching staff inning by inning, game by game. Doing this, you could feed the innings to those pitching the best at that time and not on their “potential” or “history”. The current system is ancient and needs to be changed